Chelsea managed to beat AFC champions Al Hilal in the semi-finals of the Club World Cup and they will now face Palmeiras in the final this weekend.
The Blues managed to sneak past Al Hilal thanks to a slender 1-0 margin but the Saudi Arabian side put some intense pressure on Thomas Tuchel’s side, particularly during the second half of the match.
The AFC Champions had as many as 15 shots during the match as compared to Chelsea’s 12 and had it not been for Kepa, the Premier League side might very well have faltered.
Chelsea had failed to win the Club World Cup back in 2012 so they will be itching to set the record straight when they face Palmeiras on Saturday. Thomas Tuchel has only a handful of injuries to deal so we expect him to name a strong lineup just like he did against Al Hilal.
Chelsea team news vs Palmeiras:
Kepa has been the No 1 for Chelsea in the cup games so the Spaniard will hold onto his spot against Palmeiras as well.
The manager is not expected to many too many unnecessary changes to his side so all the three centre-backs who played vs Al Hilal will likely feature in Saturday’s line up as well. Trevoh Chalobah will be available from the bench but we don’t think he will be used.
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Jorginho and Mateo Kovacic paired up in central midfield in midweek but the Italian had a really poor outing(6.6 out of 10) so there’s a massive chance that N’Golo Kante will come back into the side on Saturday.
Ben Chilwell is a long-term absentee so Marco Alonso will play as the left wing-back despite him having a very average outing vs Al Hilal.
Hakim Ziyech was the star of the show in midweek while Lukaku scored the only goal of the match so both of them will hold onto their places in the first XI. Havertz though could be rested as Mason Mount comes back into the side.
Thomas Tuchel does have the chance to change and rotate things if he wishes but we don’t think the Chelsea manager will walk on that path since he will be eager to add another trophy to his cabinet.
Chelsea injuries and absentees vs Palmeiras:
Reece James – Hamstring Injury – Ruled out.
Ruben Loftus-Cheek – Knock – Not likely to play.
Ben Chilwell – Cruciate Ligament Injury – Ruled out.
Chelsea vs Palmeiras – Kick-off details:
Kick-off – 12th February, Saturday at 16:30 GMT
Venue – Mohammad Bin Zayed Stadium
Chelsea vs Palmeiras – How to watch?
UK TV – Channel 4.
Live stream in the UK: All4.
USA TV – Fox Sports 2.
Live stream in the USA – Fox Sports App.
Predictions:
Chelsea to win – 1.68
Draw – 3.94
Palmeiras to win: 5.10
